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Mesothelioma Foundation Seeks Pentagon Funding
The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is leading a charge on the Pentagon budget for money to fund meso research. Their reasoning is simple: according to a Capitol Hill newsletter, “…at least one-third of the people suffering from mesothelioma - a lethal form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure - have either been in the Navy or worked in Navy shipyards across the country.”
More than a dozen senators, aided by an intense grassroots lobby, are pushing for funds to examine asbestos-related cancer. Part of the Department of Defense Budget includes funds for “peer reviewed medical research.” It is this program that the Foundation wants funded. Congress sets the priority for what research priorities are; if falls to the Defense Department to make the grants.
Several senators sent a letter last month to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Defense panel, including Senators Max Baucus of Montana and Patty Murray of Washington, who have been at the forefront to get more money for research and treatment.
The town of Bremerton in Washington State, near the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, has one of the highest incidences of asbestos-related cancer. And hundreds of people have been sickened or killed because of asbestos exposure from a former vermiculite mine in Libby, Mont.
Last year the Congress approved a Department of Defense budget that included $50 million for the peer review program. A steady flow of research funds for mesothelioma may lead to earlier detection methods – and accordingly, a longer period of survival for victims of the disease.
Mesothelioma - an Ongoing Threat
By the end of the 1980s the causal relationship between asbestos and the lethal cancer mesothelioma had been established beyond doubt. In 1989 the EPA banned the use of asbestos in most products. While there were court squabbles over the ban in the ensuing couple of years, asbestos has basically been eliminated from the production line in the United States. Asbestos mines have long been closed, although substances such as taconite that contain asbestos are still being mined.
However asbestos retains a huge presence in our environment. According to the American Cancer Society, the EPA believes that nearly three quarters of a million schools and other public buildings still contain asbestos insulation. The report notes that probably ten to fifteen percent of America’s schools still have asbestos on the premises.
Structures with asbestos insulation or pipe fittings or tiles or other construction material become an active asbestos threat when the asbestos is removed. Disturbing asbestos releases asbestos fibers into the air; that is why workers who retrofit these buildings wear masks and protective clothing.<!–more–>
That leaves a lot of construction and factory workers at risk. The report goes on to note that while the annual occurrences of mesothelioma among men have leveled out, the development of the disease among women is on the increase. Several studies have shown that family members of people exposed to asbestos at work have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, because asbestos fibers are carried home on the clothes of the workers.
While active exposure among miners and industrial workers may have been dramatically reduced, it seems that the secondary exposure to family members is now being reflected in mesothelioma’s occurrence among women. Because the disease often takes decades to manifest itself, perhaps these family members are simply following the pattern of delayed exposure, resulting in later occurrences of the disease.
Experience Matters
There are many attorneys around today, some of who specialize in particular areas of law and others that deal with a wide range of legal issues. When it comes to a sensitive and often complicated area such as mesothelioma litigation, it is always advisable to go through a specialist mesothelioma attorney with experience and contacts within this field. Having an experienced mesothelioma attorney deal with your mesothelioma case can help to speed the process, and can ultimately make the difference between a successful or a failed mesothelioma compensation claim. Trained and experienced mesothelioma attorneys will have established links and contacts with other groups and organizations within this field, which means that you will be able to get additional advice and even support as well as getting sound legal advice. A more experienced mesothelioma attorney will already have dealt with cases similar to yours, and will therefore know the pitfalls and loopholes to look out for, which could help to speed up your case and could maximizes your chances of a successful claim.
When you choose an experienced mesothelioma attorney, you will be able to determine the success rate of that particular law firm or specialist by asking about similar cases and their outcomes. Because a more experienced attorney will already have dealt with a large number of such cases, he or she will be able to demonstrate their success rate within the field of mesothelioma litigation.
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